Johnny Tremain Pride Quotes

Clemens, Courtney

Mrs. Zajac

ELA Period 3

8 February 2023

Question One “It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angels. -Saint Augustine”. In the novel, Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes, the reader is presented with the main character, Johnny, a fourteen-year-old silversmith apprentice to Mr. Lapham, the master smith of the Lapham house, in the time of the Revolutionary War. Throughout the book, this character is portrayed as prideful and arrogant. Johnny’s pride affects him for the better and worse, people treat him badly because of it, and his ego eventually leads him to cripple his hand while completing tasks. Johnny’s pride causes bad relationships, but it also helps get jobs done. He helps the Laphams

Johnny running the house is shown when the author writes, “‘Get the annealing furnace going. Get in the coal house. Fetch in charcoal…’” (7). At this point in the book, Johnny is speaking commands to Dusty, the eleven-year-old apprentice who admired Johnny. The three apprentices get ready to start their assignments for the day, and Johnny tells Dusty what he needs to get done. The reader can easily see that this shows he keeps everyone going and doing what needs to be done in the house because he is overly prideful and wants to be a great silversmith. But, in return, Johnny’s dignity also hurts himself and other people. He is a disadvantage to the Lapham house when he creates bad relationships because he is so bossy and narcissistic that it makes people dislike or make fun of him. Dove, the oldest of the apprentices, thinks Johnny’s arrogance is annoying, and

Johnny’s immodesty is the cause of his hand injury because he thinks he is too good to listen to Mr. Lapham’s warnings and he is in a rush while working on Mr. Hancock’s order. A reason why Johnny’s hand becomes crippled is that he does not listen to Mr. Lapham’s prediction of what might happen if he does not become more humble. An example of Johnny not listening to Mr. Lapham is, “‘...You’re getting above yourself—like I tried to point out to you. God is going to send you a dire punishment for your pride’... Johnny was so anxious to be on with his work…he hardly listened” (34). Mr. Hancock, one of the wealthiest people in Boston, orders a sugar basin, and Dove slows the process down to bother Johnny. Then, Johnny acts arrogant and prideful and scolds him. Mr. Lapham talks to Johnny and warns him about something bad happening if he does not become more modest. Johnny does not listen and Mr. Lapham’s prediction ends up being right and Johnny does get punished. Another way that pride plays a role in this accident is that Johnny is so worried about completing the basin and becoming a master smith that he is in a hurry. Johnny is rushing to finish the basin when the author states, “Johnny had been taught to clean up as he went along, but today he was in too much of a hurry to bother” (38). At this time in the novel, Johnny is working on Mr. Hancock’s sugar basin in a rush. While busy, he spills